


For The Experience

by Katyakora



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Amaya loves waffles, Angst, Declarations Of Love, Discussions of sex, Drunk Sex, Drunkenness, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s02e17 Aruba, Fluff, Foursome - F/M/M/M, Legion of doom - Freeform, Legion!Snart, Morning After, Multi, Nightmares, Not Really Character Death, OT4, Praise Kink, Sleep-fighting, Sleepwalking, crackish, discussion of rough sex, mention of sex injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-09-27 20:58:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10048970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katyakora/pseuds/Katyakora
Summary: “Wow. Now I really feel inexperienced,” Amaya muttered, taking a sip of vodka.“You and me both,” Nate agreed unexpectedly.“Clearly, you both need more varied experience to make comparison. Ooh, we should do an experiment! For science!” Ray exclaimed.They were drunk, Mick was curious and it all went downhill from there.





	1. Aim and Hypothesis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [asexual-fandom-queen (writeordietrying)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeordietrying/gifts).



> I guess this happens right after their little xmas party. Everyone's drunk and probably OOC, but guess what? IDGAF
> 
> This was meant to be crack...but it turned into fluff and smut and the final part's got angst...pansexual-fandom-queen this is why I shouldn't be enabled...the smut is in the next chapter.

“Okay, that’s it,” Mick grunted, slamming his beer bottle down onto the table like a gavel. Amaya frowned over at him from where she was perched on the table and Nate and Ray both looked up at him from where they had somehow ended up sitting sprawled on the floor. There was a near empty bottle of whiskey between them that they’d been sharing, pulled from Mick’s secret stash after the professor and, surprisingly, the captain had called it a night. Jax was asleep in the corner, curled around Mick’s rat’s cage like it was a teddy bear, somehow sleeping through their rowdiness. Mick glared back and forth between Nate and Amaya. “Why the hell are you two being weird? All the awkward is gettin’ on my nerves and ruining prime drinking time.”

 

Ray snorted and immediately Nate and Amaya lost the ability to meet anyone’s eye.

 

“Oh, they totally banged,” Ray supplied helpfully, a little slurred and grinning dopily over the lip of the whiskey bottle as he took a sip. Nate smacked his shoulder lightly, looking betrayed.

 

“Hey! I told you that in confidence!” he hissed as Amaya leveled a scowl at him.

 

“Oh, really?” Mick purred, looking intrigued by the juicy gossip. He swung his gaze to Amaya, who seemed to be steeling herself for some kind of judgement. “He any good?”

 

She blinked, clearly surprised by the frank question. “I, uh, I suppose?” she stammered.

 

“You  _ suppose _ ?” Ray asked incredulously, clearly beating Nate to it.

 

“I...I enjoyed myself,” she stated with a blush, emboldened by the alcohol to share. “I just...don’t have a lot of...experience for comparison.”

 

“Huh,” Mick grunted thoughtfully, studying her. “Men in the forties are idiots.”

 

“Why would you even ask that?” Nate finally managed to sputter indignantly.

 

“Settle a bet with Blondie,” Mick said with a shrug.

 

“Why are you and Sara even betting on my, my bedroom skills?” Nate demanded, sounding honestly curious despite himself.

 

“‘Cause of the whole haema-whatever thing you don’t have anymore.”

 

“Haemophilia,” Ray and Nate supplied in unison. Mick rolled his eyes.

 

“Whatever. See, Blondie said that after a lifetime of being a delicate flower, you’d be all gentle and tender and shit.” Mick’s frank explanation had Ray giggling into his whiskey, Amaya looking oddly interested and Nate just gaped in mortification. “But I said,” he gestured expansively at Nate, “You ain’t a delicate flower no more. You’re steel.”

 

“I’m Steel,” Nate agreed, nodding along yet not sure why. He took the whiskey off Ray to take a swig of his own.

 

“Yeah, you’re Steel,” Mick repeated approvingly, “so why the hell wouldn’t you just go rough and hard and dirty after years of holding back?” Whether consciously or not, Mick’s voice lowered even further as he delivered his matter-of-fact reasoning. Amaya shivered pleasantly at the sound and Ray blinked, his wide eyes now intensely focused on Mick. Nate sat up a little straighter, nodding again as though in a daze, feeling something other than the alcohol buzzing beneath his skin.

 

“Oh. In that case, mostly the first one,” Amaya informed them, swiping a sip of Mick’s beer while he wasn’t looking just because she could.

 

“Damn, now I owe Blondie a foot-rub.”

 

“Wait, what’s wrong with being gentle?” Ray piped up, apparently offended. “I mean, sure, fast ‘n’ hard is great. It is really, really great.” Ray vehement assurances made Mick chuckle and Nate and Amaya just looked on fondly as they waited for him to ramble to the point. “But sometimes, it’s better to take it slow. Taking your time, gently working them up to the edge until they just can’t take it anymore and then just holding them there? In my opinion, that’s way more intense and mind-blowing than getting rough.”

 

“Damn, Haircut, you’re into edging? Didn’t think you had it in ya,” Mick commented approvingly, his fiery gaze looking Ray up and down with interest, mirrored by an intrigued Amaya. Nate was also looking at Ray with surprise, but then his gaze snapped back to Mick with a frown.

 

“No, technique aside, I still don’t get why you think my haemophilia would even come into it. It’s not like I was made of glass and it’s not like you’re gonna break the skin just ‘cause you’re gettin’ rough,” he scoffed.

 

“Heh, it’s adorable that you think that,” Mick told him, probably aiming for condescending and yet somehow just sounding fond. “First chick I ever slept with cracked one of my ribs riding me.” He reached up and pulled his neckline to the side, revealing a slight divot in the muscle framed by shiny curved lines. “See this? Guy bit me to keep quiet and ended up taking a chunk outta me.” He released the cloth and leaned forward with a smug smirk. “If you didn’t bruise or bleed, then you ain’t had it rough.” Once again, his voice dipped low, curling like heat in the spines of his listeners. A moment of silence followed his words, broken only by someone swallowing thickly.

 

“Wow. Now I really feel inexperienced,” Amaya muttered, taking a sip of vodka.

 

“You and me both,” Nate agreed unexpectedly.

 

“Clearly, you both need more varied experience to make comparison. Ooh, we should do an experiment! For science!” Ray exclaimed.

 

“What exactly are you suggesting?” Amaya asked, leaning closer.

 

“It’s simple; stimulation through polarised sexual styles from individuals of similar build, strength and, I’m assuming, stamina?” Ray directed the last part as a question at Mick, who scowled.

 

“I’ll show you fucking stamina,” he growled.

 

“After the experiment,” Ray waved him off, oblivious.

 

“That doesn’t seem that scientific,” Nate argued, but he was leaning closer to Ray now, almost leaning on him.

 

“It’s totally scientific!” Ray countered. “You have each other as a baseline, Mick for the rough and hard end of the spectrum, me for the slow and tender part.” He gestured excitedly along an imaginary line. “Through comparison of the extremes you maximise your own experience and figure out where on the spectrum you prefer to be.”

 

“Not that I’m not completely onboard with this idea,” Mick interrupted, leaning even further forward and looking Ray directly in the eye. “But that’s some pretty big talk you got going on there, Haircut. All that sweet, tender bullshit takes real skill and you gotta really know your partner; what they want, what they need. You really think you can pull that off just as well as I can fuck someone into a mattress?”

 

“Yes,” Ray replied smugly, leaning forward himself so he and Mick were almost nose to nose, despite their different levels, his challenge clear. “I do.”

 

Mick’s eyes narrowed as he grinned in the face of Ray’s confidence.

 

“Are we seriously organising a foursome in the name of science?” Nate muttered incredulously. In answer, Amaya knocked back the last of their vodka and slid gracefully off the table.

 

“For the experience,” she stated firmly. “Shall we, gentlemen?” She didn’t bother to check if they followed as she sauntered off in the direction of the bunks. Mick shot the other two a wink as he rolled to his feet, finishing the last of his beer and tossing it behind him as he followed her out. Ray scrambled to his feet to join them. 

 

Nate sat for a moment, stunned. In the corner, Jax snuffled in his sleep. With a deep breath, Nate got to his feet, took a swig of the whiskey and slammed it down on the table.

  
“For the experience,” he agreed and strode purposefully after them.

* * *

 

Nate woke feeling languid, loose,and pleasantly sore, wrapped in a comforting warmth with a pounding ache in his head. A soft grunt caught his attention and he opened his eyes to see Amaya, her head resting on a heavily scarred bicep as she snored softly. It was kind of the cutest thing ever. Nate blinked, slowly realising that his own pillow was a scarred and firm stomach. His arm was flung across Mick's midsection, his palm resting on Amaya’s hip and his lower half was tangled with what he assumed to be Ray’s impossibly long legs. He heard snuffling, and glanced up to see that Amaya’s hair was just brushing Mick's face, enough to tickle and make him wrinkle his nose in his sleep. Which was also kind of incredibly adorable, especially for the gruff thief. Among the hickeys blooming around Mick’s collarbone were a smattering of bright red bite-marks and it was with a pleasant flutter in his gut that Nate realised he'd put some of them there. Ray's head was on Mick's shoulder, snuffling as he sleepily pressed his face further into Mick’s warmth. Also the cutest thing ever, as was the fact that Ray had a hand clasped around Nate's wrist. Nate was pretty sure he shouldn't be this happy while hungover and lying in a sweaty pile of people reeking of sex and whiskey. But he was and also too hungover to question it, so he just settled back down and closed his eyes, hoping the next time he woke up it would hurt less.

Unfortunately for him, they were all in for a rather rude awakening.

“Hey Ray, you up? I need some help wi-WOAH!”

Jax attempted to backtrack so suddenly that he ended up tripping on his own heel. Amaya yelped, startled awake by Jax’s intrusion and attempted to hide her front by curling around Mick. Unfortunately, in her haste, her knee collided with Nate's nose.

“Jax, this is why we knock!” Ray reprimanded him, his voice just a touch too high to pull off stern as he leaned down to snatch the blanket off the floor. He tossed it over them, right over the head of Nate who was holding his nose and trying not to swear as Amaya apologized profusely. Still lying back on the bed observing the chaos, Mick just laughed.

“I know but your room is usually safe!” Jax countered from where he was sprawled on the floor, a hand covering his poor, traumatized eyes. 

“Well clearly it’s not! And you can open your eyes now, we’re covered,” Ray told him, exasperated.

“I don’t think I’m emotionally ready for that.”

Nate managed to get his head out from under the blanket and assured Amaya his nose was tender but fine. It was at that point that a new voice joined the cacophony.

“Jefferson, what’s wrong, why are you...oh, great Scott, what fresh horror is this?” 

“Cover your eyes, Proffessor, don’t want you having a heart attack,” Mick quipped, an insufferably smug look on his face as he locked his hands behind his head.

“I wasn’t born sixty, you know,” Stein griped with a roll of his eyes. “Trust me, it’ll take something far more shocking than an orgy of teammates to give me palpitations.”

“Not an orgy,” Ray and Mick both stated in unison, giving each other a surprised look.

“Only four people,” Ray added helpfully. “Need five or more for an orgy.”

“Ugh, can we stop saying orgy? Please?” Jax groaned from the floor.

“Forgive me, I was not aware of the semantics of the term ‘orgy’,” Stein snarked with disdain, completely ignoring him. 

“It’s also none of your business, so can you two please leave?” Amaya insisted primly, clearly mortified by the whole affair.

“Of course, Miss Jiwe, I apologise for my thoughtlessness. Come along, Jefferson.”

Jax scrambled to his feet and followed Stein out the door, almost barrelling into Sara who was just strolling down the hallway. Frowning at his retreating form, she turned to see what exactly he was running from. Her eyes widened in shock before a delighted grin split her face.

“Well, well, well,” she intoned, strolling in and ignoring Amaya's long suffering groan. “Looks like you guys had quite the party last night.” Her approving gaze fell on Amaya. “We have got to be the worst influences. You leave the forties for a month and managed to get yourself a harem.”

“I do not have a harem!” Amaya squawked indignantly. Sara just raised an eyebrow at her.

“Sweetie, you're naked in bed with three men.”

Amaya groaned and hid her face in Mick's shoulder. He just chuckled at her and dropped an arm around her shoulders.

“Jealous?” Ray asked smugly as he got comfortable again, pulling Nate back down into the space between him and Mick because of course Ray was a cuddler.

“Lil’ bit,” Sara admitted with a shrug and no shame. She directed her amused gaze at Mick. “So, do I get my foot-rub?”

“I cannot believe you bet on that,” Nate muttered petulantly.

“Not anymore,” Mick rumbled with an immensely satisfied grin, his other hand falling to squeeze Nate’s shoulder. That drew an unexpected groan from him as his thumb pressed into a muscle that must have been bruised. Nate blushed but Mick didn’t react beyond relieving the pressure to run his thumb idly over the tender skin, likely appreciating his own handiwork.

“No fair, that’s cheating!” Sara complained, her grin dropping into an unimpressed frown. 

“Not cheating. You never said I couldn’t just show him what he’s missing.”

“Ha, so I was right! I knew it!” Sara crowed triumphantly.

“Your interest in my sexual prowess is honestly a little disturbing,” Nate informed his happy captain, who just shrugged.

“It’s just a little healthy curiosity. Besides, I’d have thought you’d have figured out by now that nothing stays secret for long on this boat.”

“That is true,” Ray added unhelpfully.

“No it ain’t,” Mick countered, “None of you have found even one of my stashes.”

“You mean the one full of candy just off the library or the one with the bag full of jewellery in the cargo bay?” Amaya asked idly, looking like she was halfway back to being asleep on Mick’s chest. He frowned down at her.

“You found some of my stashes,” he corrected almost accusingly.

“Can’t hide from this nose.” She shrugged. “And replicated chocolate just doesn’t taste the same.”

“You  _ stole _ from one of my stashes.” Oddly, Mick didn’t look upset, just slightly proud. “Nice.”

“I’ll leave you crazy kids to your afterglow, but first...” Quick as the Flash, Sara whipped out her phone and snapped a picture.

“Did you seriously just take a picture?” Ray muttered incredulously.

“‘Course. Felicity would never believe me without evidence,” Sara answered with an indulgent, fond smile as she headed for the door. “But don’t stay in bed too long. You’re all on cleaning up the mess you made drinking last night.” The door slid firmly shut behind her.

“That’s fair,” Ray murmured sleepily as he snuggled closer to Nate and Mick.

“I ain’t cleaning anything,” Mick rumbled, his eyes already closed.

“You will if you ever want me to do that thing with my tongue again,” Ray retorted, his own eyes closed so he missed the way Mick’s snapped open, shooting him a piercing, pensive look. 

  
“Again, huh? Okay, maybe I’ll help. A little.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Jax may never recover. Fun fact: None of Mick's sex injuries are made up.


	2. Method

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The foursome conduct their "experiment"...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a request for the foursome itself. So...this is nothing but self-indulgent, improbable, OOC, plotless smut. You have been warned.
> 
> I have no idea why this ended up being in Nate's POV, it just happened.

Due to Ray's prompting, they did begin their activities with some semblance of structure, but this was quickly derailed. Both Ray and Amaya got distracted watching Mick holding Nate up against the wall, easily supporting the other man's weight and making him writhe. Teeth and tongue teased at his neck and Mick kept up the glorious heat and pressure and friction between their bodies until Nate was whimpering and begging for more. He tried to fight back, sinking his teeth into the thick muscle of Mick’s neck, but all that earned him was a rumble of approval. He’d never bitten anyone before, the idea had just never occurred to him, but he found an odd, pleasant relief to the act.

 

That was all put on hold because they all had to have their hands and mouths on Amaya once Ray began making her moan and keen with his head locked between her thighs. She almost crushed him when he stopped right before she reached her peak. Ray just chuckled and announced it was time to swap. 

 

Nate lay on Ray’s bed, boneless and shaking as Ray did something with his tongue that Nate hadn't thought physically possible. Two dextrous fingers pumped sinuously in and out of him, the combined sensations driving him insane, so close but not quite enough. Added to that was the glorious view of Amaya riding Mick to her second orgasm, the first having hit her pretty fast after Ray had worked her up and then Mick had bent her over the bed. The whole tableau came with a soundtrack of beautiful filth tumbling from Mick’s mouth, all the more titillating for being spoken in his husky, sultry growl. 

 

Amaya draped bonelessly over Mick's chest as she came down from her climax, humming in contentment. Mick himself had worked up a sweat, and he shuddered as Amaya slid off of him, clearly calming himself down through sheer will alone.

 

“You're cheating, Haircut,” he accused, just a little shaky. Ray chuckled, the vibrations around Nate’s cock making him swear and clutch the sheets.

 

“Not cheating,” Ray answered, releasing Nate with an obscene wet pop to do so. “Different styles, different difficul-” Ray cut off with a gasp as Mick wrapped a big fist around his neglected cock and stroked roughly. He leaned over Ray’s back, a wall of heat and muscle enveloping him and allowing him to nip at Ray's tender neck and ears.

 

“You gettin’ Pretty all ready for me?” Mick rumbled right in his ear as Ray resumed in his task. Ray moaned around Nate, making Nate whimper and then outright keen when another finger was added. Mick continued to work Ray's cock as he spoke. “He looks so good, lying there moaning, begging for more. You're so good, Ray, making him moan so pretty for me.”

 

Ray groaned deeply and shuddered, pressing into the hand stroking him. Mick grinned wickedly as he nipped at Ray’s earlobe.

 

“You like that, huh? Like it when I tell you how amazing you are, how you’re such a good boy?”

 

Ray actually whined, an unrestrained, helpless sound.

 

“Does he feel good, Pretty?”

 

“Fuc-, fucking amazing!” Nate managed to choke out, highly distracted by the electric sensations Ray was sending through his body. “I, I can't...Need more, plea- fuck!” Nate practically shouted when he felt himself hit the back of Ray's throat and keep going. He could barely breath it felt so good.

 

“Look at you, you're driving him fucking insane,” Mick growled, his hand picking up speed and the other rubbing and pinching at Ray's nipple. “I bet he could come right down your throat and you’d just take it all, wouldn't you?”

 

“He keeps moaning like that an’ I fuckin’ will,” Nate warned breathlessly, because Nate wasn't the only one being driven wild right now. 

 

“Hold on, Pretty, I still got plans for you,” Mick ordered. Nate whimpered and bit his lip because Mick ordering him around in that husky growl was most definitely not helping matters. Amaya had recovered enough from her orgasm to crawl closer, watching the three of them with lustful fascination.

 

“You hear what you do to him?” Mick purred in Ray's ear, his free hand drifting down to cup the other man's balls. “You got him right on the edge, just where you want him. Bet you know exactly what to do to push him over the edge, don't you? But you're not going to. You’re gonna hold him there, make him beg and moan so pretty, ready and eager for me aren't you?” Mick's free hand pressed lower, stroking firm circles over Ray's perineum, making the other man buck. “You gonna be a good boy and come for us, Ray? Be our good boy.”

 

Ray released Nate's cock, pressing his face into the other man's stomach as he whined and moaned, shaking and shuddering as Mick milked his orgasm from him. 

 

“Fuck, Mick!” Ray panted, barely managing to support his weight on his elbows. “Now...Now who’s cheating?”

 

Mick just grinned and gripped Ray by the neck to pull him into a wet, sloppy kiss that was possibly one of the hottest things Nate had ever seen, considering it was happening between his legs.

 

“Mmmm,” Amaya moaned right in Nate's ear, just as riveted by the scene. She lazily trailed her nails across Nate's chest, circling his nipples teasingly, knowing from their previous encounter that they were quite sensitive. Nate pulled her into a kiss, wondering if it was just his imagination or if he could really taste the others on her lips.

 

Ray moved off to the side, getting comfortable to watch with hooded, sated eyes. The crinkle of a wrapper told Nate Mick was putting on a fresh condom and his stomach fluttered in anticipation. But it was Amaya that Mick picked up when he rejoined them, making her giggle as he manhandled her to one side of the bed, against the wall. 

 

“On your knees,” he ordered playfully, “feet flat against the wall.” 

 

Amaya smirked as she complied, biting her lip when Mick ran his big hands up her thighs, cupping her ass to lift her up so that her thighs were at a right angle to her calves. 

 

“Knees apart,” he continued, the words murmured practically against her lips. 

 

He slipped his hands between the top of her thighs, just brushing against her sex but still making her gasp before running his hands down her inner thigh to force her knees apart. Nate wasn't even mad he’d been made to wait, he was enjoying just watching Mick run his hands over Amaya so much. He could see Ray biting his lip as he watched, mesmerised. 

 

Abruptly, Mick pulled away from Amaya and moved back between Nate's legs, effortlessly hauling him up against him and devouring his lips. Mick kissed the way Nate imagines he would, with brute force that hid the finesse and skill behind it. Nate gave as good as he got, pressing back with just as much force, his legs wrapped around Mick’s waist to press his hard, aching cock against Mick’s. The feeling was electric and so good but not  _ enough _ . Mick chuckled into his mouth and lifted him up, shifted over and pushed Nate back down onto the bed, right in front of Amaya.

 

“Use your thighs to brace his shoulders so his head won't smash into the wall,” Mick finally explained to Amaya. He dug his thumbs into the sensitive skin of Nate's inner thighs, which were still locked around Mick's waist, making him groan. Nate swore he'd never been this vocal in bed before. Mick redirected his attention to Nate. “And, y’know, while you're down there…” he added with a suggestive smirk and Nate was happy to take the suggestion.

 

“Yes, sir,” he agreed flippantly, but noticed the way the term of address made Mick's eyes spark. Interesting, Nate was totally going to take advantage of that later.

Mick pushed Nate until his shoulders were flush against Amaya and Nate got a grip on her hips to pull her down a little so he could lick at her slick folds. His position left him blind to what was happening around him, but in all honesty that just heightened his anticipation. He focused instead on the task before him. He was used to being on top and the other way around when doing this, but he was nothing if not a quick study. Her musky taste was familiar, even mixed with the tang of latex from when Mick had fucked her earlier. Nate lapped it up, questing until he found the spot that made the muscles of her thighs clench and a breathy moan release above him. He grinned against her lips only to let out a moan of his own as he was surprised by the beginning of a hot press at his entrance. His grip on Amaya's hips tightened and he pressed his tongue up harder, as if he could somehow translate the glorious pressure he was feeling as Mick paused to let him get used to the intrusion. 

 

A pair of small hands fell to Nate's chest, nails digging in just a little as Amaya braced herself. Her hips gave a tiny, almost involuntary thrust against his tongue. Nate had never had a woman ride his face before, but he was suddenly adamant that this was an experience he needed to have. He picked up the speed and used his hands on her hips to encourage the motions, feeling them get bigger and harder almost in time with the short, shallow thrusts Mick was beginning to make. Nate had a sneaking suspicion he was doing that on purpose as the thrusts got deeper and harder as Amaya's got bolder and faster. By the time Mick slammed in deep to the hilt, making Nate arch between them, Amaya was unashamedly grinding against Nate's face, her nails digging red marks into his chest that should have hurt but just felt like another facet of pleasure mixed with all the other sensations. Nate could do little more than hold on for the ride, unaware of his own whimpers and moans, shaking with pleasure and need as his senses were overwhelmed. His neglected cock ached and leaked as it bounced against his stomach, but every time he tried to touch it Mick would bat his hands away.

 

Nate whined, embarrassingly desperate and needy when Mick's relentless pounding stopped abruptly. A sudden change in angle and Mick manhandling his legs around actually got Nate to pull his head out of the heaven between Amaya's thighs. She actually growled when he stopped, her nails in his chest keeping him from sitting up as he protested.

 

“Woah, woah! I am not that flexible!” Nate protested as Mick tried to raise Nate's other ankle up to his shoulder.

 

“You will be,” Mick stated with utter confidence as he got Nate's limb situated, the stretch of it burning and yet oddly satisfying. “'Sides, weren't you a yoga instructor in another life?”

 

“Not this one!”

 

Mick just smirked at him and gave a little grind with his hips. Nate couldn't hold back the soft keen that drew from him, the change in angle resulting in a whole new level of pleasure.

 

“Okay, yeah, yes, this is good, we can do this,” he babbled, making Mick chuckle.

 

“Good. Now get back to work and don't stop 'til she's screamin’.”

 

“Yes, sir!” Nate agreed with a cocky smirk, enjoying the way Mick's expression got hungrier. 

 

He disappeared back underneath Amaya and was grateful when she got back into the rhythm of riding his tongue because any finesse he may have had was quickly degenerating as Mick set a brutal pace, deep, hard, rough and dirty just like he’d promised. His hands on Nate's hips were probably going to leave bruises and there was no doubt he would be sore in the morning but Nate couldn't bring himself to care because it all felt so incredible. He’d never been so turned on in his life, drowning in the taste and smell of Amaya's slick, ears ringing with her keening moans and Mick's grunts, his nerves sparking every time Mick slammed to the hilt. 

 

Suddenly there were more hands on him. Ray must have recovered enough to participate, because a big, dextrous hand was running trails over Nate's hot skin, teasing and pinching at his sensitive nipples and suddenly Amaya’s moans were being muffled by another mouth on hers. Her grinding sped up and then, without warning, her thighs clenched around Nate's head like a vice, keeping him there as she rode out her climax with a guttural scream. 

 

Nate probably would have come himself from that sound alone, but he didn't find out because that dextrous hand was on his cock, and with two strokes timed with Mick's relentless thrusts, Nate's mind exploded with stars as he came, becoming a boneless, whimpering, moaning mess as wave after wave of pleasure washed over him. Dimly, he was aware of a warm, wet tongue running over his chest, cleaning up the evidence of his climax.

 

The feeling of emptiness and lack of warmth between his legs brought him back to reality, and he opened his eyes to Mick sitting next to him, sweaty and shaking yet surprisingly still hard.

 

“Y’see, Haircut?” he grunted shakily, sounding like he was barely holding it together. “ _ Fuckin’ stamina. _ ”

 

“Huh,” Ray grunted, looking impressed. “Well, we’ll just have to do something about that.”

 

Before Mick could do more than crinkle his brow, Ray was between his legs, removing the used condom and swallowing Mick to the hilt.

 

“Fuck!” Mick groaned out, his eyes rolling closed.

 

Amaya slithered out of her post-orgasmic haze to press up against Mick's back, peppering kisses and then bites to his neck. Mick gasped shakily, his hand rising up to slip through Amaya's hair, encouraging her. Mick growled in furious frustration when Ray released his cock right when he seemed to be on the precipice. Ray just gave him a filthy grin and disappeared lower, wrapping a hand around Mick and lazily stroking as he did. Nate leaned over and captured Mick’s lips, grinning into the kiss because he knew what was coming. He trailed a hand down Mick's chest, fascinated by the feel of his scars.

 

“Holy fucking shit!” Mick suddenly gasped, making Nate chuckle.

 

“He's doing the tongue thing, isn't he?” Nate asked knowingly, not expected an answer from the panting pyro. He scooted down and moved Ray's hand so he could get his mouth on Mick. The combined sensations from Ray and Nate didn't take long to send him over the edge. 

 

Mick threaded his fingers in Nate's hair, not holding him down, just gripping like it grounded him. He tugged in warning, but Nate didn't stop, and a second later caught the flood of hot liquid as Mick let out a long, drawn out sigh. Nate swallowed, largely because it was the fastest way to get rid of the thick, musky fluid. He'd never developed a taste for it, but Ray apparently had, because the second Nate released Mick's member, Ray pulled him into a kiss, licking into his mouth to lap up the last of the taste.

 

“Damn, Haircut,” Mick slurred. “Never doubtin’ your skills again.”

 

“Good to know I didn't disappoint,” said Ray, tired but cheerful as he crawled back up the bed. Nate didn’t even bother to move, he just let his head drop down onto Mick’s stomach, which happened to be quite comfy.

 

“So, was the experiment a success?” Ray asked. Nate wrinkled his brow until he remembered the supposed reason they’d ended up doing this.

 

“Both techniques have their merits,” he slurred into Mick’s stomach, “but I think I’m probably a little further down Mick’s end of the spectrum.”

 

“Atta boy,” Mick mumbled smugly.

 

“I can’t decide,” Amaya admitted, her tone thoughtful and a little impish. “I think there’s further testing required.”

  
Sleep pulled Nate under as he thought to himself that that sounded like an excellent idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking about calling this ship Bonnie's Boys...
> 
> The fact that I'm a lil bit drunk right now is probably the only reason I have the spine to post this.


	3. Results and Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their drunken experiment has unconsidered consequences. They've gravitated closer yet they dance around each other and Nate just wants to know where he stands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the rest of the angst and fluff.
> 
> WARNING: There is an instance of violence against a partner, but the offending individual is not in control of their actions at the time. It is very brief but I apologise it this makes anyone uncomfortable or upset.

They had spent the last few weeks in a strange kind of relationship limbo and it was driving Nate to distraction.

 

Nate couldn't remember the last time he'd slept alone. Ever since that first night, there'd always been someone in his bed, or he was in someone else's. The first time it was Ray, because they had always spent time together but now Nate knew he was allowed to touch and eventually one was apparently a touch too much for Ray, who dragged Nate to bed like a man on a mission. The second night it was right after a little skirmish with some time pirates and he was still riding the adrenaline high when he saw it. There was a fire in Mick's eyes, dangerous and fierce, and Nate just knew that tonight the larger man would be like wildfire, uncontrollable and all-consuming. Mick looked a little dazed when Nate pressed him up against the wall, but quickly turned the tables and manhandled him to the nearest flat surface, much to Nate's delight. The next night, Amaya just crawled into his bed and asked if this was okay. He held her close as they slept through the night, and in the morning it's slow and sweet and lazy and Nate wanted to wake up like this every day. 

 

Which was good because there was always someone else in his bed these days, but more often than not he woke in a tangle of limbs with all three of them in Ray's bed. Ray's bed was the biggest, a relic from his relationship with Kendra, and it was the only one that fit all four of them comfortably. Nate seemed to spend more nights in Ray's bed than his own. 

 

The first time was just about sex, there was no disputing that. But they all kept coming back, not just to each other's beds but also drifting closer in their daily lives. Nate couldn't help but notice that the library was Mick's destination of choice when he wanted quiet but didn't want to be alone for a while. There was something comforting for Nate in the thief's presence, despite his fearsome persona, in the knowledge that when push came to shove, Mick would have his back. He was also drinking less, which was probably because Ray and Amaya made him brush his teeth if he came to bed smelling like beer, but Nate personally hoped it was because he didn’t feel like he needed it as much anymore. Nate also noticed that Ray's chia seed chocolate cookies were practically soul-food to him at this point, and he could actually follow most of Ray's conversations with Stein because he'd spent so much time around Ray’s techno-chatter. The tech genius also fell out of the habit of working himself to exhaustion just so he could sleep, something Jax was definitely happy about; Ray’s late night experiments tended to get a little explosive. And when he needed to discuss history with someone who actually cared, Nate went to Amaya knowing she was genuinely happy to hear about both the future and the past, and she would gladly tell him all about the history of her people. He did what he could to help her navigate modern social interaction and he didn’t think it was his imagination when she seemed more confident and relaxed around the whole team, smiling and joking more every day.

 

And when they fell into bed each night, it was not always to the tune of breathless moans and filthy promises. Sometimes it was with exhausted sighs and grumbled complaints about icy limbs. The unspoken arrangement between them was comfortable and yet complicated because no one was willing to acknowledge that they'd gone beyond just sex. Quiet nights on the Waverider were inevitably spent curled up watching movies in Ray’s room, usually under the guise of educating Amaya. Nate always somehow ended up lounging between Mick’s knees, his head comfortably pillowed on the big man’s stomach. Ray would be at Mick’s side, his head resting on the arm Mick always seemed to have stretched along the top of the headboard, the scientist inevitably dropping his head into the curve of Mick’s shoulder as he got sleepy. Amaya would nestle in Ray’s lap, letting him hold her close without comment if the movie got particularly scary. Her feet inevitably ended up in Nate’s lap where he would rub them thoughtlessly as he watched. Mick always had snacks, which he would absent-mindedly feed to anyone who turned to him with their mouth open. The one time Sara had walked in on this scene, she’d snapped another picture, calling them adorable and jokingly apologised for interrupting ‘date-night’. Nate had felt Mick shift uncomfortably behind him and Ray had obliviously asked if she wanted to join them. Sara had declined, shaking her head fondly at Ray and left, but her words had left a churning knot in Nate’s gut.

 

Nate just desperately wanted some clarification on where exactly he stood. He was sure it wasn't just him, that the others were just as invested as he was, but he was terrified that bringing it up would be enough to tear it all apart. He had no doubt Ray was in the same boat. Ray threw his whole heart and soul into everything whether he should or not, and there had been more than one conversation where Ray had abruptly cut himself off. In contrast, Amaya had made it clear the first time that she only wanted something casual, and he didn't want to spook her into closing off by pointing out how close they'd all gotten. And Mick would rather take a punch than talk about his feelings. But Nate knew they couldn't go on like this forever, eventually there would be a tipping point that would make or break them.

 

In the end, it was a nightmare. 

 

It wasn't the first time one of them had woken the others with thrashing and terrified cries. By this point they all knew that Ray liked to both cradle someone and be cradled after waking from visions of teeth and claws and long months of aching loneliness. Lucky for them, Amaya was small enough that Ray could wrap around her and Mick and Nate could cocoon him from the outside, reminding him with gentle whispers that he was safe, he wasn’t alone. 

 

When Amaya woke them all with a feral cry, more animal than woman, they had learned the hard way early on not to try to touch her themselves. They kept still and let her come to them, let her sniff and rub her face in their hair and necks in an act that grounded her primal instincts but that she would be embarrassed about in the morning. Once reminded of their scents she would always curl up in the middle like a cat, her animal mind satisfied being surrounded by those she trusted. 

 

And when Nate had dreams of bleeding from his steel skin, an endless flood that couldn’t be stemmed draining and drowning him, he inevitably woke to the comforting feel of warm hands running over his skin, reminding him that he was still whole. One of Mick’s hands always ended up stroking the scar on Nate’s abdomen, the gesture almost guilty but Nate just found it comforting. 

 

In Nate’s experience, Mick either slept like the dead or he didn’t sleep at all. He’d always wondered why, until the night they all learned why Mick sometimes chose to forgo sleep entirely.

 

“No. No! NO!”

 

The soul-wrenching cry shoved Nate towards consciousness in much the same way Mick abruptly shoved Amaya off him and onto the floor. Ray sat up at the commotion and got a fist to the face for his trouble. Nate reached out to put a hand on Mick’s shoulder, only for Mick to twist at the contact and take a swing at him. On instinct, Nate steeled up and caught Mick’s fist. In the dim simulated moonlight available Nate could see that while Mick’s eyes were wide and bright, they were unfocused. It was a great relief when understanding washed over him; Mick wasn’t really attacking  _ them _ , he was still dreaming.

 

Unable to use one fist, Mick swung out with the other. Nate wasn’t quick enough to catch it but he did manage to bat it off-course, preventing Mick from breaking his hand on Nate’s face. This threw Mick off balance, and Nate took the opportunity to bundle the larger man against him, his superior strength easily allowing him to manhandle Mick. Mick kept struggling as Nate wrapped his arms and legs around him, keeping him from hurting anyone else or himself.

 

“Mick, wake up!” 

 

Nate had to quickly shift his head to the side as Mick threw his back, narrowly avoiding smashing into Nate’s nose.

 

“Come on, Mick, wake up! You’re dreaming, wake up!”

 

Mick just kept thrashing, so Nate tried another tactic.

 

“It’s okay, Mick, I’ve got you. Nothing bad is gonna happen, no one’s gonna hurt you. I’ve got you.” He spoke the words into the curve of Mick’s neck, feeling his lover’s erratic heartbeat pulse against his cheek.

 

“He’s still asleep?” Amaya asked from where Ray was helping her up off the floor. Nate nodded.

 

“He’s sleepwalking. Well, sleep-fighting,” Ray concluded. In Nate’s arms, Mick’s struggles began to weaken as Nate continued his litany.

 

“You’re safe, Mick. Don’t be afraid,” Amaya murmured soothingly as she and Ray crawled back onto the bed, hesitantly approaching. Mick shuddered, his breathing laboured.

 

“No! Stop! No!” he whimpered, sounding more scared and vulnerable than Nate had ever thought possible. He could smell the salt of tears and was certain his heart was breaking.

 

“Sshh, it’s okay. We’re here,” Ray joined in. He and Amaya tentatively reached out, wanting to give comfort however they could. Mick flinched and whimpered at the first touch and then melted into it, his breathing evening out a little. He wasn’t struggling anymore, just trembling in Nate’s arms. Nate let his grip loosen and his steel melt away, no longer restraining but cradling. “We’ll protect you.”

 

“You don’t have to fight,” Amaya said.

 

“We’ve got you,” Nate said.

 

“Nothing can hurt you,” Ray said

 

“Let me go,” Mick said. If his voice hadn’t sounded so broken Nate might have thought he’d woken up. He went to let his arms drop but Mick whined when he did, so he just shifted his hold, wrapping one arm around Mick’s chest, his palm on his heart, the other tucked around his stomach rubbing soothing circles over the scarred skin. 

 

“We’re right here,” he just kept whispering into Mick’s neck, dropping soft kisses between each phrase.

 

“You just gotta wake up,” Amaya implored, reaching out to run a thumb across Mick’s cheek, gently wiping away the tears she knew he would be ashamed of if he was awake. “For us.”

 

“We’ll always be here.” Ray sealed his words with a kiss on Mick’s shoulder, leaving a little drop of blood to mark it from his split lip.

 

Nate felt like his breath was frozen in his lungs. The things they were saying were heavy, weighed down by affection and concern. In this moment they weren’t teammates, they weren’t friends, they were lovers, coming together to comfort and care for the one of them in pain. They were willing to sit there all night and whisper sweet comforts. And Mick would do the same for them, and had, in his own way. It was in that moment that the strange, amorphous feeling of affection and attachment Nate had been feeling whenever he was around them got a name. It was big and terrifying and he could barely acknowledge it in his own head, but it was there now and he couldn’t ignore it.

 

But he couldn’t think about that right now, because Mick had just gone deathly still in his arms.

 

“Mick? You back with us?” Amaya asked tentatively. 

 

Her hand was still resting on his cheek and her eyes searched the thief’s face. From his angle, Nate could see enough of Mick’s face to see that his eyes were shut tight, as though keeping them closed could block out the reality of what had just happened. Amaya raised her other hand to wipe away the tears from his other cheek, but as soon as she made contact, Mick’s hand came up and gripped her wrist, stilling the movement. He took a deep shuddering breath through his nose, sounding almost pained.

 

“What did I do?” Despite being soft, little more than a whisper, there was a clear, hard note of command in his voice. It eased the heavy knot of tension in Nate’s chest to hear Mick sounding like himself, self-assured and dangerous.

 

“It’s okay-,” Ray began, only to be cut off.

 

_ “What did I do?” _ Mick snapped through clenched teeth. 

 

“You threw me on the floor and punched Ray in the face,” Amaya stated, tone gentle despite her blunt delivery. Immediately Mick’s eyes opened, flicking over Amaya first and then Ray, locking onto his bloody lip. Mick’s jaw clenched and Nate could feel the tension wracking his body.

 

“It’s okay, Mick, I’m fine,” Ray assured him hastily.

 

“You’re bleeding, idiot, you’re not fine!” Mick dropped Amaya’s wrist and batted her other hand away. “This was stupid, I shouldn’t’ve, I should’ve,” he muttered to himself as he untangled himself from Nate, who let him go reluctantly. He regretted doing so when he saw that Mick clearly intended to leave.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Mick, come back to bed.”

 

“Wait, don’t go!”

 

“Why the hell not?” Mick demanded, low and menacing but he’d paused, so Nate counted it as a win.

 

“Because we want you here,” Amaya told him firmly, the sentiment echoed by Nate and Ray’s nods.

 

“You want me here?” Mick scoffed, clearly not convinced. “I got Haircut’s blood on my knuckles and you think you actually want me here?”

 

“Mick, I swear, it’s oka-,” Ray repeated, only to be cut off.

 

“IT’S NOT FUCKING OKAY!” Mick roared, his fists clenched white. “Why would you - is it because of this?” he demanded, gesturing at the three of them on the rumpled bed, “I shouldn’t get away with smackin’ you 'round just because of...because of  _ this! _ ”

 

“And you're not!” Amaya yelled back, getting to her feet and staring him down. “When I woke up more animal than person, I almost clawed your arm off! What did you say to me then?”

 

“This ain't the same-”

 

“It is exactly the same! You said it wasn't my fault! You said it was okay because I wasn't really myself! You said you didn't hold it against me because it wasn't you I was trying to hurt! How is this any different?”

 

Mick didn't answer, he could only glare, trying to cover his guilt and confliction with anger.

 

“It wasn't Ray or me you were trying to hurt, Mick. We understand that. That's why it's okay.” Amaya’s voice softened, becoming gentle and imploring. She reached out to him, but he just caught her wrist, refusing to accept the comforting gesture.

 

“Doesn't matter. It's just gonna happen again,” Mick said, voice hard.

 

“How many times?” Nate asked, shuffling forward where he was still kneeling on the bed. “How many times have you woken up because you've, you’ve punched a wall? How many times have you woken up to find you’ve broken something you care about?”

 

“Enough to know I shouldn't be here,” Mick bit out, looking pained.

 

“That is exactly why you should be here,” Ray countered. “With people who will hold you back, who’ll protect you.”

 

“Protect me?” Mick asked, baffled. “I’m not the one who needs protecting here.”

 

“Yes, you are,” Amaya argued. “We want to protect you from waking up alone splitting your knuckles on the walls.”

 

“And what’s to stop me from splitting my knuckles on you?”

 

“Animal reflexes and years of martial arts training,” Amaya stated plainly. “You can’t break Nate and you can’t stop Ray from putting himself in danger if it’s the right thing to do, so there’s no point in arguing.”

 

“We can’t protect you from your nightmares, but we can keep you safe while they happen,” Nate said, recalling all the nights Mick had been there for each of them during their nightmares.

 

“And we  _ want _ to,” Ray added. “So please let us.”

 

Mick looked back and forth between them all, a painfully confused look on his face like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

“Why?” he croaked finally. “You got each other. Why in the hell d’you care about me?”

 

The other three all exchanged looks, and in that moment Nate knew they were all on exactly the same page. This was the precipice, and they were all about to tumble over, for better or worse.

 

“Because every opportunity you’ve had to cut and run? You stay and fight,” Amaya said.

 

“Because you’re always willing to be the voice of truth, even when nobody wants to hear it,” Nate added.

 

“Because you were willing to die, so that I didn’t have to,” Ray finished softly. Both Nate and Amaya looked at him sharply, neither having been aware of the details of the Oculus incident.

 

Mick looked distinctly uncomfortable, shuffling his feet. “Was kinda hoping you’d forgot about that,” he muttered. Amaya pulled the wrist he’d caught towards her, took his hand in hers and pressed a tender kiss to his knuckles.

 

“Stay with us. Please?” she whispered. 

 

Mick closed his eyes, looking conflicted and pained for a moment. In a way, he was more vulnerable now than when he’d been dreaming. Nate held his breath, and when he felt Ray slip a hand around his, he squeezed back tightly. He could never have imagined, when he first stepped onto the Waverider, that he would one day have his heart in his throat because of Mick Rory. Then again, he never thought he’d end up head over heels for half his team mates, nor that being with all three of them could even remotely be a possibility. And yet here he was, waiting with bated breath as the notorious thief decided whether or not the three heroes were worth taking a chance on.

 

Mick’s nod was so small it could have been easily missed in the dim light, but Amaya had the eyes of an owl. A sweet smile filled her face as she gently led Mick back to the bed. Mick himself looked a little dazed, as if he hardly believed any of this was real. Nate and Ray reached out for him the second he was close enough, both of them wanting the reassurance of touch, both for him and them. Mick let out a shaky breath as he was tugged back onto the sheets and into their embrace. Nate did everything he could to tamp down on the elation bubbling inside him, not wanting to ruin the moment. He focused instead on Mick, making sure he was comfortable with the three of them cocooning him, running his fingers over Mick’s scalp in the way he knew he liked. Slowly, the tension seemed to ease out of the big man. After a time, Mick reached up and ran a gentle thumb just under Ray’s split lip, clearly still feeling guilty.

 

“Sorry,” he whispered, the words barely audible. Ray smiled at him.

 

“Not your fault,” he reminded him, and then surprised him by pulling his hand away and pressing a chaste, affectionate kiss to his lips. “But apology accepted.” 

 

Nate and Amaya copied his example, Nate pressing a kiss to Mick’s scalp and Amaya to the hand she still held, her thumb caressing his knuckles in soft circles. Mick’s eyes fluttered closed, finally letting himself just bask in their comfort and affection. Nate kept up his scalp massage, knowing it would help him nod off, and soon he felt his own eyelids begin to grow heavy. He was just on the cusp of sleep when Ray broke the silence.

 

“So, uh, this...this is...a thing, right? Us, I mean. We’re...an ‘us’?” Ray whispered tentatively into the still air. Nate froze, his heart in his throat for the second time that night.

 

“Is that...a thing we could be?” Amaya asked, sounding just as unsure yet hopeful.

 

“Yeah, I mean, polyamory isn’t common, but it’s far from unheard of,” Nate found himself rambling.

 

“I mean, I thought we were, I just, well, I didn’t want to assume…,” Ray babbled, and Nate didn’t even have to look at him to know how nervous he was.

 

“Yeah, Haircut, we’re an ‘us’,” Mick rumbled reluctantly, putting him out of his misery. “You three’ll be the death o’ me anyway. Might as well.”

 

“Wow, so romantic,” Nate deadpanned, feeling light and giddy at the confirmation. Mick snorted.

 

“You want romance, you got Haircut for that.”

 

“Oh, I don’t know, I think you could show us a good time if you tried,” Amaya teased with an impish smile. “You could start small. Say, breakfast?”

 

Mick eyed her. “You just want me to make waffles again, don’t you?”

 

“Well, they do say the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach,” Ray cut in.

 

“And I really like your waffles,” Amaya admitted shamelessly. 

 

“Fine, you’ll get your damn waffles,” Mick grumbled, because it was almost impossible to say no to Amaya when she smiled like that. “But only if Pretty makes french toast.”

 

“I am not making you french toast if you’re just gonna put that weird shit on it again,” Nate countered vehemently. 

 

“It ain’t weird shit, it’s marmite, and it ain’t my fault you ate it wrong.”

 

“It’s a spread! What’s the point of a spread if you’re only gonna scrap on the tiniest little bit?” Nate couldn’t remember the last time he’d smiled this wide, having a good-natured argument about breakfast food, of all things. Because despite Mick’s strange tastes, Ray's quirks and Amaya's old school worldview, Nate was confident the four of them could make it work. They fit together better than anyone could have imagined, supporting each other in their own way. No matter how their adventure through time ended, Nate would always be grateful that he got to have this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't resist throwing in a sneaky kiwi!Mick headcanon. Yes, I am a weirdo who likes marmite on french toast and now Mick is too. 
> 
> Fun fact: Belgian waffles weren't popularised in the States until the 1960's.
> 
> There may be a bonus scene later.


	4. Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonus scene: The Legends take a trip home to 2017, to some varied reactions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of Amaya's POV? It's a little all over the place. Really, it's a mess but it made me giggle. Enjoy!
> 
> Also, I wasn't watching Arrow when Ray was on it, so my interpretation of his relationship with Oliver comes entirely from how it was portrayed in the LOT pilot.

Things had been quiet and the whole team was feeling a little ragged, so Sara made the executive decision it was time for a break. They hopped back to 2017, landing in Star City and Jax and Stein took the jumpship home to Central City, eager to see their families. They’d offered to take Mick, but he’d just grunted that he didn’t have anyone in Central. The comment might have been a little saddening if Amaya hadn’t been perched on his lap at the time, with Nate leaning against the back of his chair. Despite not being a fan of PDA, Mick didn’t bat an eyelid at any of his lovers draping themselves over him, treating them like overly large, affectionate cats.

 

They should have known trouble would follow them. Sara ended her phone-call to her father with a pinched expression and turned to the foursome with an apology on her lips. Apparently, Team Arrow could use their help. 

 

Amaya was endlessly curious about everything around her as they made their way through the city towards Team Arrow’s headquarters. This time was the home of the men she had come to care deeply for, and while she’d been here before, her last jaunt had been brief and they’d been a little busy stopping an alien invasion to take in the scenery. Ray happily pointed out landmarks and Nate would occasionally chime in with historical facts about them. Amaya was a little disappointed when they reached their destination, a seemingly empty office that hid the secret entrance. The doors of the elevator opened to a surprisingly spacious cavern with a raised area in the middle covered in computers and other equipment. The sound of excited chatter filled the room.

 

“-mean, it’s not exactly super ultra urgent, we can spare five minutes for a quick catch-up, can’t we?” Felicity was rambling at a tired looking Oliver.

 

“Fine, you can steal Sara for five minutes while I get the others up to speed,” Oliver conceded.

 

“Sara AND Amaya - oh, hey guys!” Felicity chirped, grinning a little manically at them as she tottered over on her heels. Amaya both could not understand why she would wear something so impractical and yet at the same time deeply respected her ability to wear them all day and still function. The rest of Team Arrow joined her in greeting them, including a woman none of them recognized. Before Sara could get more than a few words of greeting in, Felicity had latched onto her and Amaya’s wrists and begun to drag them away from the group.

 

“Okay, girl-talk time! You officially have a whole five minutes to give me all of the details!”

 

“Felicity, what are you talking about?” Sara asked curiously, a fond grin on her face as she let the other woman pull her along. Amaya went with it solely because Sara was.

 

“Seriously? You cannot send me a picture like that and not expect me to demand context!”

 

“Wait, picture? What picture?” Amaya demanded, digging her heels in to force the little blonde to cease her pulling. They’d only made it to the bottom of the steps, still well in earshot of the others.

 

“Oh that’s right. I forgot I sent you that,” Sara muttered and then clarified for Amaya. “I sent her that picture I took of you and the guys.”

 

Amaya's blood ran cold. “YOU DID WHAT?!” she yelled, feeling utterly betrayed. She had thought Sara was her friend and a decent person, she couldn’t believe she would do something like this. For her part, Sara seemed utterly bewildered by her reaction, as did Felicity. 

 

“Amaya, calm down, it was just a picture. I thought it was cute!” Sara defended.

 

“And very compromising! I can’t believe you would even think of sending that to someone without asking any of us first!” Amaya yelled, her words laced with hurt. Up on the raised area, all eyes had turned to them when Amaya raised her voice, and now they all seemed to be tossing up whether or not they should intervene. 

 

Sara’s eyes bugged out as realisation hit her. “Oh no! Oh god no! I didn’t send the orgy picture, I swear!”

 

Felicity’s jaw dropped. “There’s an  _ ORGY _ picture?!”

 

Up on the platform, Team Arrow had all swung incredulous eyes onto the male legends present. Oliver in particular looked like his brain couldn't quite reconcile with what he'd just heard.

 

“Orgy picture?” John asked a little weakly, looking to Ray for some kind of rational explanation. Ray seemed to be at a loss for words and Nate wasn’t meeting anyone’s eye.

 

“Haircut has good ideas when he’s drunk,” Mick stated baldly with a smug grin. Now everyone was staring at Ray with gobsmacked expressions. Ray just blushed and shrugged, grinning despite himself. As far as he was concerned, that had indeed been a phenomenal idea.

 

“The last time he got drunk he thought it was a good idea to try and put your rat in his suit,” Nate pointed out.

 

“Which was fucking hilarious,” Mick countered.

 

“Damn, what do you get up to on that ship?” Rene asked incredulously, looking morbidly fascinated.

 

“Orgies, apparently,” Dinah answered for him.

 

“It wasn’t an orgy,” Ray clarified in a long-suffering tone. “A foursome is not an org-”

 

“Okay, we really don’t need to have that argument again right now,” Nate interjected.

 

Down by the door, Amaya felt like her anger had been plunged into a bucket of cold water. “If it wasn’t that one, then what picture were you talking about?”

 

“The cute one!” Sara assured her. “The one from your date-night.”

 

“That was a date?” Felicity squealed, instantly delighted. “Wait, was that before or after the orgy? Did your double-date turn into an orgy?” She suddenly shut her mouth with a snap and waved her hands. “Never mind, that’s none of my business. Just so you know, this is the picture she sent.” Felicity pulled out her phone, tapped at it and passed it over. Now that she saw it, Amaya did remember this, but was a little stunned by the image from an outsider’s perspective.

 

They were all curled up on Ray’s bed, watching The 13th Warrior. She was in Ray’s lap but her feet were in Nate’s lap, one hand idly rubbing her ankle while the other gestured as he excitedly explained about the book the film was based on. He was lying back against Mick’s broad chest, but she was leaning so close that their heads were almost touching. Above them, Mick’s arm had dropped off the headboard and thus was nestled around Ray’s shoulders. His other hand was busy feeding Ray a piece of chocolate, the scientist leaning over with his eyes closed and his lips brushing Mick’s fingers. Mick's eyes were following the movement, his expression heated. They were all utterly at ease and smiling, even Mick, although his might have qualified more as a smirk. They all slotted together so perfectly and Amaya felt her heart swell with fondness and affection as she drank the image in. 

 

“Wow, that is cute.”

 

Amaya whipped around in shock at the sound of a voice above her, clutching the phone to her chest like she thought it might be snatched away.

 

“I’m sorry!” Curtis exclaimed immediately, raising his palms in panic. “I just, I’m tall and you’re down there, there was no way for me to not see that!”

 

“Can I see?” Rene asked, glaring when Dinah smacked his shoulder and John rolled his eyes at him. “What? He got to see!”

 

Amaya sighed and twisted around. “Do you guys mind?” She got three shrugs of indifference, although Mick's came with a 'why would I care’ expression. Amaya turned back to Felicity and passed the phone back. “Go ahead.”

 

With a couple of taps, the photo appeared on the monitors near the others. Oliver took one look at it and turned a carefully neutral gaze on Mick and Nate, his arms crossing over his chest. Mick’s keen eyes didn't miss the subtle widening of his stance, nor the way every little move was designed to make him look more intimidating. He cocked one eyebrow at him.

 

“That's a pretty serious lookin’ arm-cross,” Mick mocked, clearly not at all intimidated. “You got somethin’ to say, Robin Hood?” Mick crossed his own arms, staring the archer down.

 

“That depends,” Oliver said, his voice also neutral, “on what exactly I’m looking at.”

 

“Date-night, apparently,” Nate piped up. “Although, to be fair, that photo was taken before we officially started dating.”

 

“And who exactly is dating who?” John asked, still peering at the screen like it was some kind of puzzle. “I can't tell.”

 

“We are. All of us,” Ray clarified.

 

“All four of you?” Oliver confirmed, the little wrinkle in his brow betraying his bewilderment.

 

“Yeah.” Ray shrugged. “A little unconventional, I know, but we make it work.”

 

“Wow, I had no idea you were into men, like, at all!” Curtis blurted out. Next to him, John and Rene wore matching bemused expressions. Dinah just looked impressed.

 

“Four of you?” Oliver muttered to himself, apparently not yet over that particular detail.

 

“ _ I  _ had no idea!” Felicity exclaimed, “How did I not know?”

 

“It...doesn't exactly come up in conversation often?” Ray said a little helplessly. “Besides, I was dating you at the time, so I guess I didn't think it was relevant?”

 

“You two dated?” Amaya asked, curious.

 

“Oh, yeah. Back before he got kidnapped by Darhk and assumed dead.” 

 

Oliver cleared his throat loudly. “Ray,” he began, having regained his faculties, once more wearing a carefully neutral expression. “I don’t quite-”

 

“I’m gonna stop you right there, Oliver,” Ray cut in, holding up a palm, his tone firm but not unkind. “You’re my friend and I respect your opinion, but let’s be honest; you’re really the last person who should be judging other people’s relationships.”

 

“That is...fair,” Oliver acquiesced graciously. “But what I was going to say is I don’t really understand quite how that might...work, but-”

 

“Like you’ve never had a four-way before!” Sara scoffed loudly, earning a glare from the archer.

 

“Of course, I know how  _ that _ works. I was talking about their relationship.” He turned back to Ray. “As I was saying, I may not understand it, but if they’re what makes you happy, then I wish you all the best of luck.”

 

“Thank you, Ollie,” Ray responded with a smile that could have blinded the sun. “And I am happy. Really happy.”

 

“Good,” Oliver said with a firm nod, his gaze slipping to the side to once again pin Mick and Nate. “I sincerely hope it stays that way.”

 

Mick raised his eyebrows in an expression of disbelief and Nate swallowed nervously. Across from them, Rene snorted.

 

“Dude, you seriously gonna give a grown-ass man’s boyfriends the shovel talk?” 

 

“Of course,” Oliver replied unselfconsciously. “I’m an older brother, it comes naturally. Did you really expect me not to?”

 

“Oliver, you really don't have to-,” Ray tried to intervene, but Mick steamrolled him.

 

“Naw, Haircut let him finish. I wanna hear what Robin Hood's got.”

 

“Me too actually,” Nate added. “I'm kinda curious how he intends to threaten the hardened criminal and a guy who is literally indestructible.”

 

“You both still need to breath, don't you?” Oliver asked mildly. Nate swallowed thickly again, but Mick just laughed.

 

“He’s got you there, Pretty.”

 

“And might I remind you that if we learned anything in the old West, it's that you are far from indestructible,” Amaya added primly, her, Sara and Felicity rejoining the others.

 

“Okay, anything short of frickin’ dwarfstar, I'm pretty much indestructible. And hey, how come Amaya doesn’t get the shovel talk?”

 

Oliver and Sara all gave him a judging eyebrow. “That a serious question?” Sara asked.

 

“Not that this isn't very entertaining,” Dinah interrupted, “but I'm pretty sure we came here to do something a little more important than gossip?”

 

“You're right, we've got work to do,” Oliver agreed, clearly happy to be back on track as he brought the Legends up to speed. 

 

The subject was dropped, although Felicity gave the foursome intrigued, contemplative looks for the rest of the meeting. A few minutes later, Sara’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and frowned before answering the video call from Jax. The app opened to reveal Jax’s giggling face, looking at something on the other side of the camera.

 

“Hey, Jax. Everything okay?” Sara asked, a little suspicious.

 

“Everything’s fine,” he assured her, still chuckling. “I just need you to do somethin’ for me. Put your phone on speak and then make sure you get Amaya and the guys in the shot, okay?”

 

“Okay…” Sara complied, drawing the attention of all the others as she turned, angling the phone to get everyone in. Curious, Amaya put head over Sara’s shoulder to get a better look.  On the screen, Jax snorted.

 

“Oh that’s even better. Okay, just hold it there.” He disappeared from view, the camera moving to capture what appeared to be Caitlin comforting Cisco, who was groaning with his hands over his eyes. “Hey Cisco, I’m sorry dude,” Jax’s voice said, sounding suspiciously remorseful. “Maybe this will cheer you up.”

 

On the little screen, Cisco looked up, focused on Jax’s phone and immediately blanched.

 

“Oh god, my eyes!” he shrieked utter horror immediately covering them again. “What-why would you-you are an evil, evil man!” he shouted at Jax, who was cackling behind the camera.

 

“What's wrong with him?” Amaya asked frowning at the young man wailing on the video.

 

“He didn't believe us when we told him about you guys,” Jax managed to explain between guffaws, “so he vibed me. Didn't give me a chance to get ready though, and the first thing that popped into my head was, well, the first time  _ I  _ found out.”

 

Mick and Sara immediately cracked up laughing and Nate, Ray and Amaya went pink as understanding dawned.

 

“Brain bleach!” Cisco cried, “Caitlin, invent me some brain bleach!”

 

“Could this day get any more embarrassing?” Nate muttered sarcastically.

 

“Only if you plan on making a spontaneous trip to Detroit,” Oliver answered absently, earning a few confused looks and one guilty one from Ray.

  
“I can never look any of you in the eye ever, ever again,” Cisco groaned from what appeared to be the floor of STARlabs. Caitlin and Iris were in the background, both women clearly trying to contain their own amusement. “And yet I feel like I have to fist-bump Ray for lockin’ all that down. Ugh, how is this even a problem that I have?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Cisco. He and Jax can be traumatised together.


	5. Citation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mick's nightmare, from his perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pansexual-fandom-queen asked for Mick to share his nightmare/feelings about the nightmare, but I couldn't imagine him doing that, so instead I wrote the nightmare sequence from Mick's perspective instead.
> 
> And damn does Mick have a lot of baggage!

The Vanishing Point was always cold. Not enough to chatter your teeth but enough that you could taste it on the air. There was a fire in the corner of his eye, vibrant, dancing and blue and Mick tried to chase it because only fire could get the taste of the cold out of his mouth. He legs were heavy and sluggish, slowing him to a crawl. But that didn’t matter because Leonard was next to him, hale and whole and healthy, his trusty cold-gun strapped to his hip. His old friend stopped him, placing a comforting hand on Mick’s shoulder. It was only then that Mick noticed Leonard’s eyes were as cold and empty as the Vanishing Point.

 

_“This is for you. You did this.”_

 

Mick frowned, not understanding the intent of the words but feeling sickening dread grip him all the same. Leonard let his hand drop and began to walk away. Mick saw now that the blue fire he’d been chasing was in fact the Oculus, nestled innocently at the centre of the cavernous space they stood in...and right in Leonard’s path.

 

“No,” Mick groaned, realising now what he was seeing. “No!” He couldn’t let this happen, not again. He reached out, desperate to stop Leonard, only for a heavy gloved hand to clamp painfully down on his wrist. Blocking his path now was Chronos, his dull grey armour speckled with blood. Over Chronos’s shoulder, Mick could see Leonard continue to walk away, unaware of Mick struggling behind him. “NO!”

 

Mick lashed out against his old self, freeing himself with a hard shove. He managed to get a few hits in before his arms ceased to follow his orders, restrained by something behind him. He looked down to find burning arms wrapped around him, skin and flesh eternally melting away with the nauseating stench of burning bacon. Some of the hands were big, but some were tiny, as though they belonged to children. On the hand clawing into the flesh over his heart, the diamond of his mother’s wedding ring glinted in the dancing flames. The arms of his burning family locked him firmly into place, forcing him to watch as his friend marched to his death.

 

“ _This is for you. You did this,”_ they whispered with voices that echoed with their screams.

 

Chronos simply stood and watched, empty and cold as Mick would have been if he’d never been freed of the Time Masters’ control. He didn’t so much as twitch when another figure stepped from the shadows to stand at Leonard’s side.

 

The figure was Ray, beaten and bloody, the shackles of the gulag still swinging from his wrists. His usually open and joyful face was hard and grim beneath the patchwork of cuts and bruises.

 

“ _This is for you. You did this.”_ Mick had only ever heard Ray use that tone once; the day he had betrayed the team to the time pirates. With those haunting words, Ray turned and joined Leonard walking towards the Oculus. Desperately, Mick struggled against his bonds.

 

_~o one’s gonna hurt yo~_

 

Nate was there now, dressed for the Old West, down to the blood soaking his shirt and waistcoat  from the gaping wound in his abdomen. Mick remembered that look on his face as well, the utter confusion and disbelief before the pain hit him.

 

 _“This is for you. You did this.”_ His voice sounded so heartbroken and lost, like he couldn’t understand why Mick would do this.

 

_~’re safe here, Mick. Don’t be afrai~_

 

Amaya prowled up to join them, but unlike the men, hers was a form he had never seen. Her hair was wild and matted, her clothes torn and soiled with blood and mud. Blood encrusted her fingernails and dripped from her teeth, and Mick knew somehow that none of it was hers.

 

 _“This is for you. You did this.”_ She spoke in a snarled hiss, barely human and filled with unchecked rage.

 

The four walked together towards death, silhouetted against the ominous blue light of the Oculus that creeped slowly closer.

 

“No! Stop! No!” Mick tried to call them back, but was ignored.

 

_~Sshh, it’s okay. We’re here~_

 

The hazy voice was Ray’s, but it was right in his ear. Mick looked down to see that the flames on the arms holding him had turned blue, the azure of the Oculus. The arms were different, because now it was Ray, Nate and Amaya holding him down as they burned with temporal flames. Mick whimpered. He was too late, they were already burning because of him. Looking up, he could see Leonard standing in the inferno that had been the Oculus, passively letting the flames consume him. The ghostly voices of his burning lovers surrounded him with their mocking words.

 

_~You don’t have to fight~_

 

_~We’ve got you~_

 

_~Nothing can hurt you~_

 

He had to save them. If he could just get to the Oculus he could save them all. After all, he was the only reason they there, the only reason they were burning.

 

“Let me go,” he begged. Just like that, the arms holding him fell away, along with everything else around him. Everything fell away, leaving Mick panicking and falling in a black abyss, groping blindly for the hands that had been burning him just a moment ago. The voices stilled surrounded him, taunting him with their nearness when he couldn’t reach them.

 

_~We’re right here~_

 

_~You just gotta wake up. For us~_

 

_~We’ll always be here~_

 

Suddenly, the burning, blazing hands were back, clawing and pulling at him, but this time he could see their faces. Fat bubbled down their cheeks, their eyes melted out of their sockets, their lips shriveled and curled into permanent grimaces made of nothing but blackening teeth. They were burning, burning because _he_ was burning and he burned everything he touched-

 

Abruptly, Amaya’s blazing skull became her beautiful face, gazing into his eyes with worry and concern. The flesh melting onto his shoulder became Ray’s hair brushing his skin. The brand searing into the curve of his neck was Nate placing a gentle kiss there. His arms were wrapped around Mick’s torso, cradling and caressing, but Mick had no doubt that they’d been used to hold him down. There was a sickeningly familiar ache in Mick’s knuckles and he clamped his eyes shut tight as reality flooded him.

 

“Mick? You back with us?” Amaya asked, so gentle and tentative that it hurt.

 

Mick’s gut churned with self-loathing. He should have known. Things had been going so well, he hadn’t had a nightmare in weeks, not since they started this unexpected arrangement of theirs. Even if it had been just physical, even if it had been just temporary, having them there, lying next to him, trusting him, had helped to quiet much of the ugliness in his head. It was hard to hear his demons when Amaya was snoring softly on his chest or Ray was muttering nonsensical formulas in his sleep. And on the nights when even their warm presence couldn’t get him out of his own head, he’d stayed up and sat vigil over them; some deep, primal part of him eased by the knowledge that they had a monster of their own watching out for them. Less and less he’d been needing to drown his mind out with the anaesthesia of alcohol and more and more he’d been drowning it out with Ray’s chatter, Amaya’s laughter and Nate’s stories. Things had been good and he’d been trying to hold on to this strange, fragile thing they were offering him for as long as it lasted.

 

But he’d screwed up. He’d gone to sleep sated and content, thinking he knew his mind well enough to know the nightmares wouldn’t come tonight. But he’d been wrong and now they had seen the truth. They’d let a monster into their bed, and now they knew. An ugly little voice whispered in the back of his mind that this was why he didn’t do this; he always destroyed what he cherished the most, it was better to keep distant, so the only one he hurt was himself. Now, he was going to lose them. There would be no more nights spent curled up on Ray’s bed, no more afternoons spent teaching Amaya how to cheat at poker, no more quiet hours just listening to  Nate muttering to himself over the rustle of paper.

 

And the worst part was, just a few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have cared at all. He would have revelled in their reactions, expected nothing less than their fear. But that was before he had realised that he actually liked them, more than he had known what to do with. He had liked that they looked at him with want, like he was something worth wanting. He had liked that he could pretend, just for a little while, that he was important to them. But he’d ruined everything now, and he was too much of a coward to even open his eyes to face the damage he’d done.

 

“What did I do?” he managed to grind out, not wanting an answer but needing to know.

 

“It’s okay-” Ray began and Mick felt a sudden, visceral hate for that word.

 

“ _What did I do?”_ he cut him off, not interested in platitudes.

 

“You threw me on the floor and punched Ray in the face,” Amaya put him out of his misery, because if anyone was willing to rip off the band-aid, it would be her.

 

Mick didn’t even think before opening his eyes, that protective part of him needing to see the damage even as the bile rose in his throat. Amaya had no visible marks, but Mick knew that didn’t mean he hadn’t hurt her. Ray was marked though, a lightly bleeding split in his lower lip where Mick’s knuckle had connected with his teeth through the delicate flesh. It reminded Mick of his dream, seeing the other man beaten and betrayed, of all of them suffering because of him.

 

“It’s okay, Mick, I’m fine.” Ray tried to convince him, but all he succeeded in was twisting the loathing in Mick’s gut further, saying that word just the way his mother used to.

 

“You’re bleeding, idiot, you’re not fine!” Mick snarled, hating himself for getting in so deep that it hurt this much to see the end. He’d been selfish and gotten stupid, letting himself get sucked into their orbit. “This was stupid, I shouldn’t’ve, I should’ve,” he muttered as he physically pushed them all away, suddenly feeling suffocated by them. He shouldn’t have been there, he never had any right to be there. They called out to him as one, pleading for him to stay and that just hurt all the more. He didn’t understand how they couldn’t see that this wasn’t right, they didn’t really want him there. They didn’t need him there, not when they had each other, not when all Mick did was bring problems and pain. But they just kept trying and Mick found himself pouring salt on his own words, spitting the truth that they couldn’t seem to see at them, trying to make them understand that they shouldn’t want this. But they just kept trying.

 

“Mick, I swear, it’s oka-”

 

“IT’S NOT FUCKING OKAY!” Mick roared, because every time Ray said that word all Mick saw was his mother kneeling on the kitchen floor, ignoring the blood dripping down her cheek as she picked shards of a whiskey bottle off the tiles and telling little Mick it was okay, it was all okay, just go back to bed, honey. Maybe that was it. Maybe, like his mother, they thought this kind of shit was normal. That didn’t feel like it made sense, but Mick couldn’t think of any other reason why they would be fighting him on this. “Why would you - is it because of this?” he demanded, struggling to find the words to describe their situation, resorting to vague gestures, “I shouldn’t get away with smackin’ you 'round just because of...because of _this!_ ”

 

“And you're not!” Amaya yelled back, standing up to him the way he knew she would. She never took even an ounce of flack from him and clearly wasn’t starting now. It was one of the things he liked most about her. “When I woke up more animal than person, I almost clawed your arm off! What did you say to me then?”

 

“This ain't the same-”

 

“It is exactly the same! You said it wasn't my fault! You said it was okay because I wasn't really myself! You said you didn't hold it against me because it wasn't you I was trying to hurt! How is this any different?”

 

Mick wanted to argue, to tell her that this was completely different, that the animal inside her had nothing on the monster inside of him and why the hell could nobody understand that? But every reason he thought of seemed feeble in the face of her argument. She tried to talk him down further, tried to tell him that it was okay because he didn’t mean to hurt them. Mick shook his head at that and told her straight that none of that mattered because it would just happen again. He’d been living with his nightmares for too long to think this would be the last time. That didn’t get the reaction he expected. Instead of cutting their losses and just letting him go, they latched on tighter, adamant that he needed to stay for his own protection. Which was absurd; Mick wasn’t the one in danger. Finally he just asked, needing to know why they couldn’t see the truth that was right in front of them.

 

“Why?” he croaked finally. “You got each other. Why in the hell d’you care about me?”

 

They all shared a look, and he was so sure that this was it, this was the moment where they realised that they didn’t really need him, that he wasn’t worth it.

 

“Because every opportunity you’ve had to cut and run? You stay and fight,” Amaya said.

 

“Because you’re always willing to be the voice of truth, even when nobody wants to hear it,” Nate added.

 

“Because you were willing to die, so that I didn’t have to,” Ray finished softly.

 

Mick was utterly stunned by their response. No one had ever said anything like that to him in his entire life. It stirred a feeling deep in his chest, something that he couldn’t name, but made him strangely uncomfortable with the enormity of it. He fidgeted under their gaze, his brain trying and failing to process the way they seemed to see him. It felt so alien to what he saw in himself, yet nothing they had said was actually wrong. Failing to find a real response, he deflected instead.

 

“Was kinda hoping you’d forgot about that,” he muttered. Amaya reached out for him, crossing the distance he’d put between them all, and said the words they had all been trying to say since this whole thing had started.

 

“Stay with us. Please?” she whispered.

 

Mick had to close his eyes to hide the pathetic swell of hope that those words sparked in him. They were all reaching out, all wanting to pull him back into their orbit, wanted to give him a place to belong. That was all he’d ever wanted, really, somewhere to belong. Once upon a time, that place had been at Snart’s side, watching his back, but now Snart was dead and gone and Mick had resigned himself to drifting at the edges for the rest of his life. And now, these three beautiful, _good_ people, these heroes, were offering him a place with them. They had seen his fire and his rage  and all the ugliness he had inside of him and they still thought that here was where he belonged.

 

He should say no. They didn’t need him, not in the way they thought they did. But he needed them, he knew, deep down, that they had become his anchors, his reason to keep going on this ridiculous crusade. They kept the demons at bay, they were his light when the darkness threatened to smother him. He needed them and he knew that was stupid, a weakness that any street thug with two brain cells would be able to use against him. But, damn it all, they made him feel safe enough to be weak. No one, not even Snart, had ever made Mick feel truly _safe_. That ugly little voice in the back of his mind whispered that this would all end in flames, but Mick ignored it. He was tired of staying strong, of drifting at the edges. Now, he had someone to lean on, three someones, who he trusted would never take advantage of that. He trusted them.

  
Steeling himself, Mick stepped into the unknown with a tiny nod, and let himself be weak as the strongest people he knew pulled him into their protective embrace.


	6. Annotation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody's got an opinion. Even the Legion of Doom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favourite thing about this is the fact that it technically didn't happen.
> 
> A lot of people wanted to see Leonard's reaction to the OT4. Unfortunately, this is arsehole Legion!Snart's reaction.

“What do you mean ‘No’?” Eobard asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Mick just crossed his arms and stared the speedster down.

 

“I mean no,” he growled. “You wanna keep the rest of the Legends as pets, I don’t give a shit. But those three are mine.”

 

“That doesn’t seem very fair,” Merlyn piped up from his chair, clearly delighted to be stirring shit. “That’s half the team. Damien’s only asking for two. Since Snart doesn’t want any and I just want to kill them all, really it’s only fair for you to get two each.”

 

“Thank you, Malcolm,” Darhk said smugly.

 

Mick didn’t budge. “Too fucking bad. Those  _ three  _ are mine.”

 

“Why them?” Leonard asked suddenly. He’d been silent otherwise, watching the exchange with shrewd eyes as they argued. He cocked his head, studying his partner. “You wanna keep them around for a little revenge? Repay them for treating you like a dog?”

 

“No,” Damien answered for him, scrutinising Mick thoughtfully, “if that were the case, he’d ask for the captain.”

 

“Good point.” Leonard flowed out of his perch on the desk to step closer. “So why? Did they do something to you? Spit in your beer?”

 

“What’s it matter why?” Mick grunted, uncomfortable under their scrutiny. He watched Leonard’s brow rise as realisation hit him.

 

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re screwing them,” he surmised with incredulous disdain.

 

“No way!” Merlyn exclaimed, suddenly riveted. Even Eobard was giving Mick an impressed look. Mick rolled his eyes.

 

“Fine, whatever, I’m screwing them. Like to keep it that way too.”

 

“All three of them?” Damien asked, despite himself.

 

“Yeah, all of ‘em.”

 

“At once?” Merlyn added. Mick glowered.

 

“Yes. What is this, a fucking knitting circle?”

 

Damien raised his hands in surrender. “Well, far be it for me to get between a man and his toys.” No one but Leonard noticed the murderous look that flashed across Mick’s features for half a second at Damien’s choice of words. “But I don’t see why we can’t share. Amaya can work for me during the day and...work you at night. Fair?”

 

Mick scowled and growled low in his throat as he deliberated for a moment, before finally nodding. The debate of what changes to make continued on, but Leonard kept watching Mick with calculating eyes long after the matter was settled. He continued to watch him even after their business was done and they left STARlabs. By the time they got back to their safehouse, Mick was thoroughly sick of Leonard’s thoughtful looks.

 

“You got somethin’ to say, say it,” Mick snapped as he pulled a beer from the fridge.

 

“The Spear of Destiny,” Leonard drawled, propping his hip against the kitchen table and somehow managing to make it look comfortable, “capable of altering reality in any way imaginable.” 

 

“I know,” Mick grunted, taking a swig of his beer. “Your point?”

 

“My point, Mick, is that with the Spear, you could have  _ literally _ anyone in your bed.” Leonard paused for emphasis, his eyes narrowed. “And yet, you chose those three do-gooders. Didn’t think they’d be your speed, that’s all.”

 

Mick gave him a derisive look. “Would you say no to those three?”

 

“Oh, they’re easy on the eyes, sure,” Leonard conceded dismissively, “and Amaya I understand; she is definitely your type. But the nerd twins? Really?”

 

Mick snorted, smirking over the lip of his bottle at Leonard’s comically confused expression.

 

“They’re both kinkier than you’d think,” he informed him smugly, chuckling outright when Leonard wrinkled his nose in indignant disgust.

 

“So they’re good for a bit of fun. A bit of fun isn’t worth risking this whole thing over.”

 

“Is that what you’re pissy about?” Mick demanded, crossing his arms as he scowled at his partner. “That I didn’t bend over backwards for Thawne?”

 

“You stood your ground with Thawne and Darhk, and I respect that,” Leonard stated, raising a palm in a gesture of appeasement. “But our position isn’t quite as strong as I’d like, and antagonizing the others just isn’t a good idea right now.”

 

“Don’t care,” Mick grunted, staring him down defiantly as he drained his beer. Leonard scowled, pushing off the table to lean forward on the counter opposite Mick.

 

“That’s the problem,” he hissed. “You weren’t gonna back down earlier, because of  _ them _ . Now I know you’re not the type to be led around by your dick, so what’s the real reason you fought for them?”

 

Mick didn’t answer, but he couldn’t look at Leonard either. He couldn’t stand to see the judgement he knew would be in those cold eyes.

 

“No, don’t tell me you’re in love with them,” Leonard sneered, seeing right through Mick the way he always had. “You don’t  _ do  _ feelings.” Mick slammed his fists down onto the counter between them.

 

“You don’t know anything about us!” he snarled.

 

“I know you turned on them,” Leonard snapped back. “Doesn’t make any sense, Mick. You’re being inconsistent.”

 

“Oh, I’m being inconsistent?” Mick shot back. “You can’t seem to decide if we’re our own men or Thawne’s lackeys!” 

 

Leonard glared and his lips pressed together in anger, but he didn’t interject.

 

“I had my reasons. And I don’t have to explain myself to you, or anyone!”

 

Leonard blinked, taking a step back as his expression turned thoughtful and shrewd yet again. 

 

“You did it for them.”

 

Mick’s protests stuck in his throat. It was true. He had taken the Spear for them, and for himself. 

 

The cracks had begun to appear in the seventies. In truth, they had begun in Star City, when a throwaway comment about Detroit led Ray to doubt that getting involved with them was a good idea for Amaya. He’d shared those doubts with Nate, in part because he thought Nate would understand the need to protect history over their happiness, and in part because a piece of him was hoping Nate would disagree. Instead, Nate had lashed out when confronted with the possibility he could save his grandfather, using the knowledge of her future against her when Amaya argued for preserving the timeline. Ever since then, she’d closed off from them as her fate weighed on her. Nate had withdrawn as well, avoiding everyone as he grieved for the grandfather he couldn’t save, for the chance at happiness he couldn’t give his father. And through all of this, Ray had respected Nate and Amaya’s desire for distance, but clung to Mick, terrified that he would leave him too. 

 

Mick could never have admitted that he was just as afraid. Everything was falling apart and he didn’t know how to fix it, was too damaged inside himself to be able to fix it. But the Spear had whispered to him, promised to fix every last little thing that Mick had ever broken and more. And it had. Mick’s family never died, were living out their lives on the farm near Keystone City. Amaya’s village prospered, Nate’s grandfather was never in the JSA because it never existed and Ray had never known the pain of watching someone he loved die. He’d even managed to minimise the Legion’s punishments for them. 

 

So why did Mick feel so sick?

  
“I had my reasons,” Mick repeated hoarsely. 

 

"Those 'reasons' had better not get in the way." Leonard's tone made it clear what the consequence would be if they did.

 

"They won't."

 

Leonard didn’t answer, he just watched with cold, calculating eyes as Mick stomped out of the room.


	7. Repetition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate gets some very good advice from his future self.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I made myself cry writing this.
> 
> Hope this is a satisfying conclusion to the last chapter's set up. Set during Aruba.

The Legends stood gathered on the bridge, glaring collectively at the thieves wearing their faces. It was a bizarre experience, seeing one’s self from the outside, even more so when it became clear that their doppelgangers really were their future selves. The fact that not all of the Legends had made the trip was even more disconcerting.

 

“What happens to us in the future?” Nate couldn’t stop himself asking, his heart in his throat as he realised Ray and Amaya were among those missing. The future Legends were silent, no longer willing to meet the eyes of their past selves. Unsurprisingly, it was Mick who stepped up to deliver the unfortunate news.

 

“Well,” future-Mick said grimly, the irreverent smirk Nate would have expected conspicuous in it’s absence. His stance held none of it’s usual strength, and Nate realised he’d never seen Mick look so utterly defeated. He pointed at Ray. “Dead,” he stated simply, no emotion in his tone whatsoever. He pointed at Amaya next. “Dead.” And then Stein. “Good as dead.”

 

Nate’s eyes flicked over to Amaya and Ray, and then over to his Mick, present Mick, who was also looking at Ray and Amaya with tight lines of worry and fear around his eyes. Nate’s gut felt like it had turned to stone and he found an excuse to leave the bridge as soon as possible. It was all too much, another stabbing pain next to the loss of his grandfather, and he hadn’t even lost them yet. He snuck away to the library and tried to use his research to distract himself from the fear clawing at his ribs. Unfortunately, his solitude was short lived. The other him found him there, and Nate was once again hit with a strange sense of disorientation as he looked at himself.

 

“Doing some light reading on Zambesi, I see,” future-Nate announced himself casually, but Nate wasn’t fooled.

 

“What do you want?” he snapped tiredly.

 

“I came to do you a favour. You need to stop being a coward and tell the others how you feel about them,” future-Nate stated bluntly. Nate had the absurd thought that Mick had been rubbing off on him. He sighed, shut the book in his lap and got up.

 

“And how do I feel about them?” he asked flippantly as he moved to put the book away, not expecting his future self to give a real answer.

 

“You’re in love with them. You have been for a long time. Probably since that first night.”

 

Nate froze, his heart pounding in his chest. His stomach lurched, that lead weight of fear beginning to boil and roil as the feelings he’d fought not to name rushed to the front of his mind. He’d known, of course he’d known, no matter how much he’d fought to retain ignorance of his own feelings. But admitting, even to himself, was utterly terrifying. Nate had never felt so strongly about one person before, let alone three, and it had been hard enough getting them to the point of admitting they were in a relationship. They were complicated, and right now they were fragile, and Nate didn’t think he could handle it if he took the risk just to end up breaking them.

 

“Look, I...I really, really like them, but-”

 

“Listen to me!” future-Nate interrupted, stepping forward. “I watched Leonard Snart put a gun to Amaya’s head and kill her right in front of me. Eobard Thawne ripped Ray’s still beating heart right out of his chest just as we thought we had the upper hand. Amaya is dead. Ray is dead. I have lost them forever, do you understand me?” His voice was rising and cracking, and moisture threatened to spill from his eyes, but he didn’t seem to care. “And the one person, _the one person_ , that I want to go to for comfort, I can’t because I am just _so angry_ at him! And I’m angry at myself for making him feel that this was the only way to keep us together. And for being too much of a coward to tell any of them how I felt before it was too late.”

 

“What do you want me to do?” Nate demanded, his own voice rising. “We all want to change the future, but-”

 

“I’m not talking about changing the future,” future Nate cut him off. “I’m talking about changing things as they are now. You have the chance to do things the way I should have, the way I wish I had. Because there is nothing worse than looking back at your life with regret.” Future-Nate’s shoulders sagged as he looked himself over sadly. “My world has been shattered. Don’t let the same thing happen to yours.” With those words, he walked out, leaving Nate to stew in fear and indecision.

 

He didn’t get long to do it, though. Soon, the Legion attacked and they were all stranded with a critically damaged Waverider. They made a new plan, and when future-Nate revealed that they had always known they wouldn’t survive this mission, Nate felt the full force of reality hit him. They had all willingly made the jump, knowing that this was a sacrifice play. Hell, from the look on future-Nate’s face when he said it, Nate was sure the thought of this being the end was almost welcome. The situation was that bad. Nate looked over to future-Mick, who was looking at no one, just drinking a beer like the meaning of life was at the bottom of the bottle. Just then, he glanced up, meeting Nate’s eyes. The bottle was lowered and he just looked, drinking Nate in, along with Amaya and Ray at his side, his Mick at their backs. The pain and regret Nate saw in his his eyes almost broke his heart. He felt like he finally understood what his future self had been trying to say. Nate had been so afraid to risk losing them, but failing to act would mean losing them anyway. If they survived this, he had a chance. And he was determined to take it.

 

They stepped out to face the Legion, to begin their desperate dash to the other Waverider. Future-Jax was the first to fall, sacrificing himself to save Stein. In all the chaos, Nate lost track of himself, and it was only when Ray’s bone-chilling cry went out across the battlefield that he found him. Future-Nate was racing across the battlefield, even as Mick defended Ray by shooting a burst of fire at the man who’d been his closest friend. Ray swept Mick up in a hug, but Nate only had eyes for his future self and the figure he was kneeling over. Future-Mick had a spike of ice sticking out of his chest, and with his last remaining strength, he reached out for his last living lover. Future-Nate took his hand, bringing it to his face as tears spilled from his eyes. Nate reached them just in time to hear Mick’s last words.

 

“S...so..rry…lo…v...”

 

“I know,” future-Nate sobbed, kissing the now limp hand he still held, “I forgive you. And I love you too.” With a last kiss to Mick’s forehead, future-Nate got back up with a shaky breath, clearly holding himself together through sheer willpower. He looked like a shell of a man, no light behind his eyes, the last of it having been just snuffed out.

 

“Waverider’s this way,” he grunted and moved on.

 

It was only then that Nate noticed Ray and Mick were standing right behind him, both staring at him. Ray had tears in his eyes and Mick had that terrified, baffled expression he wore when overwhelmed with emotion he didn't know how to process. Nate had no idea what to say after what they’d just witnessed, so he just followed his future self, hoping no one noticed the way his hands were shaking. They had almost caught up to where he stood with Sara, Rip and Amaya when Damien Darhk popped up from nowhere to stab future-Nate in the back. Nate staggered to a stop, feeling a phantom shadow of what his other self must feel. Ray and Mick immediately raced over to Amaya, who had dropped to her knees at future-Nate’s side. Nate joined them, the sight of himself dying in Amaya’s arms almost too surreal for him to comprehend. His future self met his eyes.

 

“Don’t be a douche,” he intoned gravely, much to everyone else’s confusion.

 

“I won’t, bro,” Nate swore, his determination to seize his chance only solidifying as he watched himself die.

 

That determination strengthened him through the final confrontation with Thawne and all his time remnants. It fortified him to wait for Mick to go through the painful act of setting his friend on the path to his death. And it carried him all the way to the door to Ray’s room. His steps slowed as he approached, anxiety finally sinking its hooks in as the moment approached. But he couldn't stop now, not when it had been his last wish. Not when he’d seen the way losing them had broken him. Ahead of him, Amaya’s voice drifted out of the open door.

 

“-on’t want to go back to 1942.”

 

“Really?” That was Ray, his voice painfully full of hope.

 

“I know I have a destiny, and I know we shouldn’t change time anymore than we already have. But I believe that time is stronger than that. If I have a destiny, it’ll wait for me.”

 

Nate reached the room in time to see Ray sweep her up in his arms and spin her around, wide grins on both of their faces. Nate took a moment to just watch, savouring the scene as Ray and Amaya shared a fervent kiss. His heart ached in his chest and he couldn’t believe he’d ever denied to himself that this was love. He loved this incredible, powerful woman, this genius of a man and their fearless, fiery crook.

 

“You’re staying?” he asked, drawing their attention. Amaya nodded excitedly and Nate didn’t think twice before slipping into their embrace, giving Amaya a kiss of his own. “Good because I’m not a hundred percent I could have survived in a time before tv.”

 

Amaya looked at him in astonishment. “You would have come with me?”

 

“Yeah and I’d have done my damnedest to convince the other two to come too,” Nate admitted, looking to Ray to see his reaction. His look of pleased astonishment matched Amaya’s.

 

“About what future you said to future-Mick…” Ray broached slowly, clearly hesitant.

 

“It’s true,” Nate said simply, feeling unexpectedly serene as he finally took the plunge. “I love Mick. And I love you and you,” he continued, nodding to first Ray and then Amaya. “I was afraid to admit it before, but, well, other me gave me some good advice.”

 

“Don’t be a douche?” Amaya quoted, making Ray chuckle.

 

“Yeah, pretty much,” Nate agreed, “and he’s right. I don’t want to have his regrets. And it doesn’t matter if you guys don’t feel the same way, I just wanted you to kn-”

 

“Of course I love you too!” Ray exclaimed, horrified at the thought Nate might believe that he didn’t. “I love all three of you so much it has been killing me to bite my tongue these last few weeks.”

 

“Really?” Nate asked softly, feeling like he was floating as his nervous hopes were answered.

 

“We are ridiculous,” Amaya said through a chuckle, pulling first Nate and then Ray down for a kiss. “I love you boys too. You’re the reason I can’t bear to leave.”

 

“We’d be lost without you,” Ray assured her warmly. “I love you. Damn, it feels good to finally say that.”

 

The other two chuckled at his immense relief, but after a moment, Amaya’s smile dimmed slightly.

 

“Do you think Mick...feels the same?”

 

Nate and Ray shared a look, both of them remembering future-Mick’s dying words.

 

“I don’t know if he’ll be able to say it,” Ray hedged.

 

“But I think he does,” Nate finished.

 

Amaya nodded in understanding. “We’ll just have to make sure he knows that he doesn’t have to say it. That we know he cares.”

 

“We can always start by taking a trip to Aruba?” Ray suggested.

 

“Somebody say Aruba?” Mick said as he strolled into the room. He was clearly aiming for casual, but the stiffness in his posture and the tension in his jaw belied that. Ray, Amaya and Nate didn’t even need to look at each other to agree, they just pulled Mick into the circle they’d made. His eyes went a little wide in surprise at the sudden movement, but after a moment he let himself melt into it. Ray shuffled them over to the bed and they all collapsed onto it, the four of them letting out a collective sigh as they let the weight of their traumatic day fall away in the arms of their loved ones.

 

“How did it go?” Ray asked tentatively after a while. “With Leonard?”

 

Mick didn’t answer for a while, idly running his fingers through Amaya’s hair as he thought.

 

“He’s back where he needs to be,” he said finally. He sighed, staring unseeingly up at the ceiling. “Never knew how much this ship changed him ‘til today. Never knew how much...I’d changed.”

 

“Is that good?” Amaya asked, her fingers tightening where they were curled in Nate’s shirt.

 

Mick huffed. “The old me woulda said no. Woulda been right there with Leonard, shootin’ at the team.”

 

“And the new you?” Nate prompted.

 

Mick sighed. “He just put his best friend on the road to death because he’d rather see him become a better man than keep the man he used to be.”

 

“Leonard made a choice, Mick,” Ray said softly, “one that the Leonard I knew would have made again and again if put in the same position.”

 

“I know. Still sucks,” Mick rumbled tiredly. “‘Sides, if he never dragged me on this ship, I wouldn’t be here.” He didn’t have to explain that by here, he meant here in their arms, surround by people who cared.

 

“I heard you, y’know?” he murmured after a time, his body tensing with nerves. “Before. Thanks for...gettin’ it. ‘Cause I do...y’know.”

 

Amaya was the first to lean up and kiss him. “Of course we get it. We love you too,” she said against his lips.

 

Nate took her place as soon as she pulled back. “We do,” he added.

 

“So much,” Ray finished, sealing it with his kiss.

 

“Saps,” Mick croaked, failing miserably to hide how affected he was by their declaration.

 

“Your saps,” Nate reminded him with a cheeky grin. He found himself thinking of his future self, of his warning, and how it had felt seeing him grieve the loss of these amazing people he loved, who loved him in return without ever admitting it. Nate had already avoided one of his mistakes, and already everything was so much brighter. The grief he’d been carrying around, that he’d let drag him down and away from his lovers, was finally easing. Amaya had accepted that her destiny awaited her but refused to be dictated by it. Ray finally had the unconditional love and devotion he’d craved and deserved but always been denied. And Mick had finally accepted that he’d changed, and that that change wasn’t a bad thing. They had been tested, and come out stronger.

 

“Shall we see if we can convince Sara to let us all vacation in Aruba for a while?” Ray suggested. “I think we earned a break.”

 

“Damn right we have,” Mick agreed heartily, grateful for the lighter subject.

 

“But that means getting up,” Amaya complained with a pout, snuggling closer for effect.

 

“No it doesn’t,” Mick insisted, picking Amaya up and throwing her over his shoulder as though she weighed nothing. She squealed in delight, and Nate and Ray laughed and slung an arm over each other’s shoulders as they followed them out of the room towards the bridge. Nate grinned the whole way. They were stronger now, a true unit, and he was confident they could weather any storm their crazy lives threw at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, would you look at that, a happy ending!
> 
> For the curious, the biggest difference between this 'verse and canon Doomworld was that Ray, Nate and Amaya all lived in a massive house with Mick. Eventually, Mick's guilt drove him to use Ray's device to give them back their memories and they were NOT HAPPY. Rest pretty much went as canon.


End file.
